Ted Talks! Bishop First To Tweet Love As Ryder Captain?

It appears that former PGA of America President Ted Bishop was the first to reveal news of Davis Love as the next and stunningly uninspired choice as 2016 Ryder Cup Captain. Nice guy, but didn't he already do this once?

Anyway at 2:43 pm PT Bishop tweeted:


At 3:03 PT Golf Central reported that Tim Rosaforte was reporting the head-scratching news of Davis Love as the next Ryder Cup captain.

Nice guy, but didn't he already do this once?


It really doesn't matter who was first, the news leaking helps spice up a Northern Trust Open lacking star power or even any discernable storyline other than both Love and Fred Couples taking two spots in the field that might otherwise be taken by people who have a shot at winning. Couples, at least, is a draw in L.A.  Love? Nice guy, but didn't he already do this once?

On that topic, Bob Harig asks the rhetorical question every way imaginable: is Love really the first choice of the task force that he his ownself sat on? 

So now it goes to Love, one of Couples' best friends and a guy who was on the 11-member task force. Did he just sell out one of his best friends in Couples? Or did he become a compromise choice because the PGA of America wanted no part of Couples, who is not viewed as the kind of captain who buys into all the ancillary nonsense that comes with the job?

The latter is more likely, which makes you wonder if the PGA of America cares more about promoting the event than winning it.

GolfChannel.com's team chimed in. Randall Mell: "From the outside, it’s staggering that their proven methods, as wildly different as they are, weren’t deemed good enough."

Ryan Lavner: "Fred Couples and Paul Azinger were the favorites for the job, but they declined invitations to the task force. That must have rubbed the group the wrong way, because Love had a prime seat at the table and was involved in the decision-making that led to him being named captain. Conflict of interest, no?"

AP's Doug Ferguson says the announcement is coming on February 24th at the Honda Classic, if anyone still cares by then.

Golfweek.com's Jeff Babineau assesses the decision managed to pull this statement out of the PGA:

In a statement released from its headquarters in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., the PGA of America said: “It’s premature to discuss the 2016 Ryder Cup captaincy. We’re not prepared to comment at this time.”

I am. Nice guy, but didn't he already do this once?

Tim Rosaforte’s full Golf Central report, also mentions Steve Stricker and Tom Lehman (both on the task force) as vice cart drivers in 2016 to help capture the midwest hearts and reaffirm that sucking up to the PGA of America's task force was key.

Nice guys, but haven’t they already done this?